In 2014, MachineGames brought William 'B.J.' Blazkowicz back from purgatory in Wolfenstein: The New Order, pitting him against a Nazi war machine that had conquered the world in an alternate 1960s. You can get it for free right now on the Epic Games Store.
The New Order gave Wolfenstein bold, Tarantino-esque cutscenes, and brought a touch of stealth back to the series. Not a huge amount, but a little. Where the pre-id 2D Castle Wolfenstein was about sneaking through mazes, The New Order let you spend a few minutes stealthing and stabbing your way into any given Nazi compound, fortress, or lunar base before an alarm inevitably went off and the megashotguns came out.
Mostly it was about the shooting, with dual-wielding an option for much of its arsenal and a laser cutter that could be upgraded. In the middle of killing robot dogs and Nazi scum, the New Order's reborn Blazkowicz would recite odd folksy wisdom, and between levels he got to hang out with members of a growing resistance movement that could include Jimi Hendrix if you made a certain choice in an early level. It was a strange game, even before you went to fight Nazis on the moon.
MachineGames have continued their tenure as the keepers of all things Blazkowicz, following The New Order with flashback expandalone Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, then full-blown sequel Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and its spin-off Wolfenstein: Youngblood, which was co-developed by Arkane. Released alongside that was Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, a VR-exclusive where you played a hacker working with the French Resistance.
Still, you know what The New Order had that none of them did? A soundtrack including a banging tune by an alternate-history German Beatles. You can download Wolfenstein: The New Order from Epic between now and June 9.
